With the release of the first content update adding various needed (or extra) features, here's another thing that I think is pretty needed.

Have you ever found yourself without any ammo, bots in front and back of you any no chance to run past them? Well, now you have just a little chance to survive. Introducing... the combat knife!

Combat knife is a findable item, very, very similar to the flashlight, so if you're lucky, you can start with one. Knife's animations are also similar, it's held in the same way with weapon as flashlight (so MW2/3), but in its own way alone (I think like in CS). It's also held in your teeth sometimes, but sideways.

When held, knife has its own hotkey, that causes it to strike. If it's held alone, left-click also causes it to strike. Those strikes has the same power as a bullet, but are pretty unreliable due to short range, however you just might his a turret in the right spot with it to save some ammo.

Because flashlight and knife are so similar, you can hold only one with your gun. This leads to a choice - if you are feeling safe and in mood for searching, you pull your flashlight, if you're feeling cautious and want to have some additional support, you pick a knife. It can be used when you're out of ammo, your magazine is empty and you need to strike fast or to save a couple bullets on a kill. Or to show off by doing "only knife" run, if you're into such things.

Overall it's a pretty simple but needed feature. It uses some existing pieces of code while providing some new decisions and interactions.

I like this idea except for one thing. I think a knife wont punch through metal unless its like some sort of hatchet style tool. So maybe its like a taser knife? Or maybe it just stuns the kill drones, instead of killing them.

v1zRaven wrote:I like this idea except for one thing. I think a knife wont punch through metal unless its like some sort of hatchet style tool. So maybe its like a taser knife? Or maybe it just stuns the kill drones, instead of killing them.

It's an overall idea to bring a melee weapon, but I like the idea of the knife. It has a lot of pros going for it.
1) It's realistic
2) Because it's realistic, it can be modeled and animated like in a real-life situation
3) It uses some coding of the flashlight
4) It interacts with a flashlight by having to choose either one or second
You could argue that it isn't -that- realistic, but you could pierce through metal with a combat knife, messing up some of the robot's systems. The stun idea isn't that great, since knife itself as a weapon is really weak, there's no need to nerf it further.

The purpose is similar, but it's a completely different (and, in my opinion - better) way to approach it. Also, I feel like a one-hit-kill mechanic of it feels pretty overpowered for a weapon of last resort.

It could be a hammer, or some other everyday blunt tool that makes sense finding in a left behind toolbox or the like.

It would make more sense to hit the robots with a blunt instrument I think, and that could also have the effect of only hurting them a little, but sending them flying across the room to potentially hit walls or the like for more damage, or just to get more time to reload the gun.

Blood stripe!
I have the tanto model, lacks the blood stripe, same paint and grip though.
I need to mod it into OG sometime, because my KA-BAR is sexy as all get out.

Time for combat lesson kiddies!
The blood stripe, that indented portion of the blade, actually has a use. When you stab someone, the blood inside of their body creates suction against a flat blade's sides. This makes it pretty dang difficult to remove the weapon from a body, if not impossible without some wrenching, twisting and such.
However, having the blood stripe allows air to get against the blade, freeing it from the suction created by bodily fluids. Makes for faster, smoother stab and retrieve movements

A combat knife is balanced specifically for hacking and stabbing from the hand. It's almost scary how much a KA-BAR feels like it should be swung. I got mine and as soon as you have it in your hand, it's like it wants to be swung and slashed with. Their perfectly built for making kills at close range. Single-edged with an often thick spine, they are optimal for making very lethal, singular wounds and in knife fights.

A throwing knife is designed to be thrown, held by the tip.
EDIT: Some are balanced to be thrown by the grip as well. For many throwers, I imagine it varies by preference.
They're generally lighter and thinner, so they can go between ribs easier, and are double edged, rather than single edged, so they are more likely to make a cut when thrown. They are balanced to give as much control as possible over the weapon when throwing it.

This doesn't mean that you can't use one in place of the other. There was one guy on the show Time Warped who could pick up anything that had one light end and one heavy end and throw it point first at any distance within his throwing range. Screwdrivers, needlenose pliers, etc.
Likewise, just about anything can be used to kill someone up close. But, the two knives are designed for a separate function from the get-go.

For example:

Shadow207B2 wrote:If anything, get the proper name for it, the KABAR.

The standard KA-BAR is built for slashing and stabbing, useful in a fight against an opponent who is also armed with a knife.
The grip is widest in the center, allowing you to swing the weapon without losing it because your fingers wrap around the grip's wide center, locking it in place.
The hand guard is there to help stop an opponents knife from shearing off your fingers.
The blood strip will prevent suction from blood in an opponent's body grabbing hold of your blade should you stab them. I covered that a few posts up though.
The lower portion of the edge is serated. This is actually a utility feature. It's harder than hell to cut rope with an unserated blade. Those serations are just for cutting stuff that a straight edge is slow on.
The front of the tip curves, giving slashes an nice, smooth laceration.
The spine of the tip tapers down, angling forward. This is all to faciliate a faster, deeper stab.

Many throwing knives lack the strong grip (Or any real grip at all, with many just having the plain tang), guard, and singe edge, favoring sleek, double-edged, slim designs to make a successful throw more lethal and improve aerodynamics.